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that for a particular walk, anian ought to have a particu-
lar pair of shoes: as, for example, shooting, shooting-
shoes ; cricket, cricket-shoes. lVhereas, he believed that
Henry Gowan had no particular pair of shoes.
“No speciality?” said Mr. Dorrit. ’ . .
This being a very long word for Mr. Sparkler, BI1(l.l1lS
mind beingexhausted by his late etiort, he replied,
“ No,-thank you. I seldom take it.”
" tVell i” said Mr. Dorrit. “It would be very agree-
ableito me, topresent a gentleman so connected,-with
some-ha-Testimonial of my desire to further ll1S.1l1-
terests, and develope the-hum-germs of his genius.
I think I must engage Mr. Gowan to paint rny picture.
If the result should be-ha-mutually satisfactory, I
might afterwards engage him to try his hand upon’ my
family." , ,
The exquisitely bold and original thought presented
itself to Mr. Sparkler, that there was an opening here
for saying there were someof the family (emphasising
“ some ” in a marked manner) to whom no painter could
render justice. But, for want of a. form of words in
which to express the idea, it returned to the skies.
This was the more to be regretted as Miss Fanny
reatly applauded the notion of the portrait, and ur ed
her papa to act upon it. She surmised, she said, t at
Mr. Gowan had lost betterand higher opportunities by
marrying his pretty wife ; and Love in a cottage, paint-
ing pictures for dinner, was so deliglitfully interesting,’
that she begged her papa to give him the commission;
whether he could paint a likeness or not: though indeed
both she and Amy knew he could, from having seen a.
speaking likeness on his easel that day, and having had
the opportunity of comparing it with the original.
These remarks made Mr. Sparkler (as perhaps they were
intended to do) nearly distracted ; for while on the
one hand they expressed Miss Fanny’s susceptibility
to the tender passion she herself showed such an in-
nocent unconsciousness of his admiration, that his eyes
goggled in his headwith jealousy of an unknown
riva . ‘ - v . ‘ r ' '
Descending into the sea again after dinner, and’as-
cending out of it at the Opera staircase, preceded by one
of their gondoliers, like an attendant Merman, with a
great linen lantern, they entered their boX,- and Mr.
Sparkler entered on an evening of agony. The theatre
being dark, and thebox light, several visitorsvlounged
in during the representation ; in whom Fanny was so in-
terested, and in conversation with whom she fell into
such charming attitudes, as she had little confidences
with them, and little disputes concerning the identity of
people in distant boxes, that the wretched Sparkler
hated all mankind. But he had two consolations at the
close of the perfonnance. She gave him her fan to hold
while she adjusted her cloak, and it was his blessed
privilege to give her his arm down-stairs again. These
crumbs of encouragement, Mr. Sparkler thought, would
just keep him going; and it is not impossible that Miss
Dorrit thought so too. =
The Merman with his lirrht was ready at the box-door,
and other Mermen with ot er lights were ready at many
of the doors. The Dorrit Merrnan held his lantern low,
to show the steps, and Mr. Sparkler put on another heavy
set of fetters over his former set, as he watched her-radi-
mt feet twinkling down the stairs beside him. Among
the loiterers here, was Blandois of Paris. He spoke, and
moved forward besides Fanny. '
Little Dorrit was in front, with her brother and Mrs.
General (Mr. Dorrit had remained at home); but, on the
brink of the quay they all came to ether. She started
again to find Blandois close to lieiyllianding Fanny into
the boat. ‘ ' i - ' a :
‘-‘Gowan has had a loss,” he said, “since he-was
made happy to-day by a visit from fair ladies.” '
" A loss?” repeated Fanny, relinquished by the be-
reaved Sparkler, and taking her seat. ‘ -
" A loss,” said Blandois. “ His dog, Lion.”
Little Dorrit’s hand was in his, as he spoke.
“ lie is dead,” said Blandois. .
“ Dead?” echoed Little Dorrit.
" Faith, dear ladies!” said Blandois, sinilin
shrugging‘ his shoulders, “ somebody has
noble dog. He is as dead as the Doges !’f
“ That noble dog?” a
and
poisone that
‘her sister, smiling.
CHARLES’ DI UKENS ’ WORKS.
CHAPTER Vii.
lllostly, Prune: and Prism.
MRS. GENERAL, always on her ‘coach-box keeping. the
proprieties well together, took pains to form‘ it surface
on her very dear ‘young friend, aiidllrs. Generals very
dearvyoung friend tried hard to receive it. rliarcl as.she
had tried in her laborious life to ‘attain many ends, She
had never tried harder than she did now, to be varnished
by Mrs. General. It made her anxious and ill at case t0
be operated upon by that SXX100tl11ngllI1n(l,.1t-IS true ; but
she submitted herself to the family want In 1'3 g1'0qmf;S5
as she had submitted herself to the family "want. in its
littleness, and yielded to her own inclinations II]. this
thing no more than she had yielded to her hunger itself
in the days when she had saved her dinner that her fa-
ther might have his supper. . - '
One comfort that she had under the Ordeal byGeneral
was more sustaining to her, and made her more grateful.
than to a less devoted and aifectionate spirit, not habitu-
ated to her struggles and sacrifices, might appeilf ‘lllm’
"reasonable; and, indeed, it may often.he observed in
life, that spirits like Little Dorrit do not appear to rea-
son half as carefully as the folks who -get the better of .
them. The continued kindness-of her sister was this
comfort to Little Dorrit. v It was nothing to her that -the
kindness took the form of tolerant patronage; she was
usedto that. It was nothing to her that it kept her 1110-
tributary position, and showed her in attendance on the
flaming car in-which Miss Fanny sat on an elevated
seat, exacting homage ; she sought no betterplace. Al-
ways admiring Fanny’s beauty, . and grace, and Te11‘,11‘
ness, and not now asking herself how. much of her dis-
position to be strongly attached to Fanny was due to her
own heart, and how much to Fanny’s, she gave llel’ 1111
the sisterly fondness her great heart contained. .
The wholesale amount ‘of Prunes and.Prism which
Mrs. General infused into the family life, combined
with the perpetual plunges made by Fanny into society,
left but :1. very small residue of any natural deposit at
the bottom of the mixture. ‘This rendered C0T.l1(.le.I1Ce5
with Fanny doubly precious to Little Dorrit, and height-
ened the relief they afforded Iier. ' - H v 1
4-" Amy,” said Fanny to her, one niglitwlien they WQTO
alone, after a day so tiring that Little Dorrit was (1111-l0
worn out, though Fanny would have taken another dll’
into society with the greatest pleasure in life, “I 111,"
going to put something into your little head. -You won t
guess what it is, I suspect.” V ; i " .‘
“I don't think’ that's likely, dear,” said Little Iiprrit.
“ Conie, I'll give you a clue, child,” said Fanny. Mrs.
General.” I i v - ,
Prunes and Prism, in a thousand combination$,1‘“V‘“fg
been wearily in the ascendant all day-everything l18.V-
ing been surface and varnish, and show without sub-
stance-Little Dorrit looked as if she had hoped that
Mrs. General was safely tucked up in bed for some
hours. ' . . . d 3 '
“Now, can on uess,‘Am ?’.’ sai Fanny. l‘ v ,
“No, deaizy Uilless I havz done anything,” said Littlg
Dorrit, rather alarmed, and meaning anything calculate ‘
to crack varnish and ruflle surface. . ’ , . . ‘
Fanny was so very much amused by tho Inlfglvlnge
that she took up her favourite fan (being then seated :2
her dressing-table with her armory of cruel insirumelllf
about her, most of them recking from the heart of SP‘",;'
ler), and tapped her sister frequently on the nose witlii ,
laughing all the time. " '
"‘ Oh. our Amy, our Amy I” said Fanny.‘ " What,“
timid little goose our Amy is I But this, is notliiiiEl',,9
laugh at. On the contrary, I am very cross, my dear. ,d
‘ “ As it is not with me,’ Fanny,-I don't mind," lemme .
“ Ah I But I do mind,” said Fanny, “and so will you:
Pet, when I enlighten you. vAmy,-has it ‘never Sta“?
yeti that somebody is monstrously polite to Mrs. 8 '
era ‘2” . . = - ‘
“Everybody is
Dorrit. ‘.‘Bccause-” - > . i " , d
“ Because she freezes them into it?” 1nlCK'1’uI"e
F3119)’: “I don't mean that ; quite diderenty from that‘
‘polite toAMrs. General,” said ‘Little